Coppola looks to take the inaugural WorldSSP300 title

Two rounds of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship remain, and there is a chance for the World Title to be sealed in what has been an unbelievable debut season for the class. Heading to the historic circuit where history could be made, the 37 riders will be gunning for that all important race victory and slipstream. Four riders are in with a chance of taking the title, and following an emotional race victory from Ana Carrasco (ETG Racing) last time out in Portugal, there will be a lot of eyes on the WorldSSP300 class.

20 year old Alfonso Coppola (SK Racing) could secure the first ever WorldSSP300 title in France, as a season of intense racing begins to come to a close. With the pressure on his shoulders, it will be interesting to see if the the bLU cRU rider can produce the results he needs. Coppola has had two appearances around Magny-Cours in the European Junior Cup, with one podium finish and one DNF, but undoubtedly the experience will lend itself to him. Five podiums from seven races in 2017, the Italian has quickly become comfortable with his YZF-R3 and to win the title in France would be a dream come true. But with just one point advantage in the standings ahead of the race, he won’t take the crown without a strong fight from his rivals.

Spanish rider Marc Garcia (Halcourier Racing) was the man with the target on his back around Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, and is only one point behind Coppola in the title fight onboard his Yamaha. With four podium finishes so far this season, the Spaniard seems to have got into his stride in the latter stages of 2017. Notably fast, it doesn’t take Garcia long to learn the layouts of new circuits and he will be the man trying to stop Coppola on Sunday.

Early championship leader Scott Deroue (MTM HS Kawasaki) had a stunning start to his WorldSSP300 campaign, but a lull in the mid-point of the season meant he lost his grasp of the title lead. However some reasonably consistent results recently means he is still in with a chance of taking the title, as he sits in third position in the standings and 18 points off Coppola. With two opportunities of securing another podium remaining, Deroue will be putting his all in to the weekend.

Hoping to bounce back from a tough two rounds, Mika Perez (WILSport Racedays) sits in fourth position in the title fight, but is only 18 points from the top. Following the disqualification from the Lausitzring race and a tough outing in Portugal, the 17 year old is very much still in with a chance of the title but will need to produce a strong performance on his CBR500R. Three appearances in the EJC for Perez around Magny-Cours will mean he heads to France with some experience, and with results improving on each occasion for the Spaniard, he will be looking to find a strong early pace in the competitive class.

WorldSSP300 action begins on the 29th September until 1st October, and with the question mark over Coppola, you won’t want to miss the race at 14.20LT, all followed live on the WorldSBK VideoPass.

Fonte: WorldSBK.com